The present invention relates to a method for producing a 2-cyanoethyl group-containing organic compound through a Michael addition reaction between acrylonitrile and a hydroxyl group-containing organic compound, wherein the presence of the specified catalyst results in a 2-cyanoethyl group-containing organic compound having a high ratio of replacement by cyanoethyl groups and a high dielectric constant.
A 2-cyanoethyl group-containing organic compound possesses a highly polar 2-cyanoethyl group so that it forms a large dipole moment to exhibit a high dielectric constant when placed in an electric field. Accordingly, it is used in various fields where a high dielectric material is required, such as an organic dispersion type EL (electroluminescence) device and a heat-resistant separator for a film capacitor or a battery.
The 2-cyanoethyl group-containing organic compound can be produced, for example, through a Michael addition reaction between acrylonitrile and a hydroxyl group-containing organic compound.
To produce the 2-cyanoethyl group-containing organic compound through a Michael addition reaction between acrylonitrile and a hydroxyl group-containing organic compound, some methods have been proposed in JP 56-018601A, JP 59-226001A, JP 04-357695A and JP 05-178903A).